Interview with Jean-Luc DeMeyer by D. Phillips, October 1997

He has one of the strongest and most recognisable voices in electronic music. Since the early Eighties, Jean-Luc DeMeyer has helped Front 242 shape the sound of modern synthesiser music. He has lent his voice and writing skills to other bands such as Bigod 20, Cyber-Tec, and more recently, Cobalt60. What is left to accomplish when you are in one of the most inspirational synthesiser bands of all time, and working with others? Let's just say that he isn't through yet. Jean-Luc DeMeyer speaks and spells with the New World Destruction Channel.

Front 242 has been making music since synthesisers and recording equipment were analogue, and proved that they could produce great songs although sophisticated equipment was still years away. What do you remember about trying to make music back then, and does the band still own what was used for the Geography album?

I remember that everything was slow as we could only work on Sundays. It was very exciting to work on the first Korg and Roland synthesisers as they produced incredible sounds (for that time) that nobody ever used before. We still have some of them but seldom use them.

The song GVDT, from the Geography album, uses what is now known as a sample that says "what's wrong?" followed by the sound of rewinding audio tape. Then the sample is heard again. Was a tape recorder used as an early kind of sampler?

Exactly. We used our first real sampler about two years later.

Let's say that Front 242 is about to work on a new song for the first time. What normally happens in the studio at this early stage of a song?

An extremely long session of sampling and choosing sounds. A massive absorption of extra strong coffee. Repeated visits to the video store.

Analogue synthesisers are back in style again. Do you think that synthesiser companies are sincere about making these new retro keyboards, or are they just interested in making money?

No, I think there is a real demand from the bands. When the first analogue synths were released, the whole industry of electronic instruments was taken into a spiral where every musician was looking for the latest one, not taking time to really get the best of what each machine could give. Then, quite quickly, the first samplers appeared and lots of musicians sampled the best sounds of their old analogue machines and got rid of them. This, as a consequence, left much of the creative potential of the analogue instruments unexplored. Some years ago, when it appeared that the sampling technology had - sort of - reached its ultimate level and that there was little to improve there, there was a space open for really "shaping" those inimitable, gritty, grainy, analogue sounds again.

As hard as it may be to believe, Front By Front will be ten years old. The album seemed to have just exploded onto the music scene in 1988, especially if you consider that Front By Front is a big step away from 242's previous album, Official Version. Front By Front is considered today to be a classical electronic music album, as well as one of the most inspirational. Could you tell us what you remember about making this album, and did you know that it would have the impact that it did?

I remember that the sounds in general were extremely dynamic and that there was a real teamwork on that one. We had no idea of the impact it would have, and we surely had no idea that Headhunter was going to be a sort of alternative hit. None of us had chosen it as a single, it was an idea of our record company.

In Until Death (Us Do Part), towards the end of the song, it sounds as if you are spelling something, the last part being "f-o-r-e-v-e-r". What is spelled just before that?

L-O-C-K T-H-E D-O-O-R F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

And what is "1, 1, 20, 29" a reference to, from the song Circling Overland?

The date on which the song takes place.

Let's talk about the way music can work with pictures. First of all, what are some of your favourite movies?

The classical "dirty" sci-fi movies such as Alien and Blade Runner. Apocalypse Now. Peter Greenaway, Lars von Trier.

In the movie Single White Female, actress Bridget Fonda is tied to a chair and trying to escape while your Rhythm Of Time video blares in the background. Was the band notified about the use of the video in advance, and did you enjoy seeing it used this way?

Yes. These things are taken very seriously by movie makers so there were talks way before the movie was released. It was fun to see ourselves on a large screen.

The television commercial for a mountain climbing movie called K2 used the song Moldavia as its background music, but the song did not appear anywhere in the film. Again, how did the movie studio come to use the music?

As usual, there was probably a fan among the team managing the commercial. They contacted our publisher to obtain the authorisation to use the song.

I have always thought that Front 242 should have scored some films that were only scored with standard orchestral soundtracks. Maybe Edward Scissorhands or The Crow would have benefited from 242's music. The task of scoring Scissorhands went to Danny Elfman, who scores everything anyway. Front 242's music would have matched the look of the film more appropriately. Would you be interested in scoring a film, and has the offer ever been made to you?

No. In fact the people in the movie business are very conservative and prudent. They have a tendency to work with individual people who are already established by previous work in the same genre or to choose songs or music that are already recorded before the movie is shot. So they know what they're gonna get and that "control factor" seems to be extremely important for them. Also, paying to use a song that already exists is always less expensive than paying a band to write it.

Another group you are working with, Cobalt60, is doing the soundtrack for the CD Rom game Wing Commander V. How did that happen?

Our record company sent copies of our first album to some people in the business and were contacted by Origin who showed interest in us writing songs for the game as they believed our type of music would fit the new direction of Wing Commander.

Were you shown elements from the game to help with the scoring?

Yes, we saw most of the characters in the game, especially the aliens, and several animations. I was even allowed to read the script. We recorded the tracks at Origin headquarters in Austin, Texas. We decorated the studio with pictures of the aliens and the space ships of the game. Great designs. We were surrounded by aliens to write the music.

On a year by year comparison, the video game industry makes more money than all of Hollywood's films combined. Do you think there could be a new audience for you hidden among the players of Wing Commander V?

Might be. But frankly, this isn't really my first concern. I think the music fits the game really well, and it was fun to do it and to be part of the making of Wing Commander. This is what counts for me. If this soundtrack can generate more public interest for Cobalt60 it would be really nice, but this is not the main issue for me, at least way less than it is for my record company.

Do you play video games at all?

Yes, and since a long time. I particularly like operating submarines and attacking convoys at night.

When I met you during your Tyranny For You tour, you told me about that album's cover, which you said was Patrick. Front 242 seems to enjoy making images as much as making music. Tyranny For You, the Rhythm Of Time single, and Never Stop! all use swimmer imagery (which works exceptionally well for some reason). Why the use of all of the swimmer imagery?

The Tyranny For You and Rhythm Of Time works are from the same "campaign", so they both use pictures from the same session, that were not so much aimed at using the swimmer imagery but at showing more the facial expressions and a mix of colours (as we were throwing colourants on Patrick's face during the shooting).

Also during the Tyranny tour, you mentioned that you lost some hearing in one ear. How did that happen, and how much of a problem is it for you?

It was a very high pitched feedback that hit both Richard and I, and left us deaf for several days. We have no permanent sequela. The doctor who cured us said that if the same thing would happen again then the damage would be permanent. Since that day I always go on stage with ear plugs.

On the Rhythm Of Time single, the first few seconds of the Victor The Cleaner track have what appears to be Front 242 having some fun in the studio followed by "No, don't record that Rick, don't record that." What was going on in the studio that day? I think most people assume that the outburst was added to the CD just for a laugh. Is this in fact the case?

Well, this song was a remix by The Orb and they are responsible for this, so that would be a question for them.

How did you come to write and sing on Bigod 20's single, The Bog? I think many people were disappointed that you didn't appear on other songs on the full length Bigod 20 album that followed.

I knew Talla2XLC for years when he sent me the demo tape of the song and asked me if I could find some vocal lines on it. I liked the song a lot, so we did it. It was fun and easy.

Front 242 is now back on stage together after some of its members have worked with other bands. Is any new material coming from the Frontmen?

Nothing is planned so far. Nothing is impossible either, but our productions and side projects are doing well. And take time.

Have you met any of the members of, in your words, "the most essential band of the century", Kraftwerk?

Yes. Patrick had a very long conversation with Ralf Hütter about cycling (I am shy, I only said "hello") in the club Dorien Gray (Frankfurt) some years ago, and Richard spoke with Florian when they played in Brussels in 1992.

What would you like to see happen with the future of electronic music?

To expand, to rule, and to remain forever open to the wildest possible creativity.

What are your favourite albums?

Among my personal greatest electronic records, I would quote in the first place, KRAFTWERK of course (most essential band of the century), but for their earlier work Radioactivity and Trans Europe Express. Radioactivity, Autobahn and Kometenmelodie being their best songs (or anti-songs, whatever). LA DUSSELDORF, Viva (1974), a brilliant, but sadly not too well known German band, very close to Kraftwerk's work, extremely melodic. HUMAN LEAGUE, Reproduction. Unfortunately they changed for the worst right after this brilliant one. YELLO for the general outstanding quality of their sound and their humour. Special mention for brave work as underestimated pioneers: THROBBING GRISTLE (unfortunately too often impossible to listen to...) And if I have (do I have to? OK, OK, here I go...) to quote bands that opened the doors of the masses recognition, I would refer to SOFT CELL, DEPECHE MODE...or NEW ORDER maybe.

And what else have you been working on lately?

Front 242 are currently playing again in Europe (new versions of the old songs), and several companies have submitted offers for a new album, but there is no decision so far. We are talking with some U.S. agents, and should play in the U.S. in the beginning of 1998.

I am indeed making a lot of new music these days. CyberTec changed their name to C-Tec, are signed on WaxTrax!, and a new album New Ground (9 tracks) will be released in the United States in November (already released in Europe on SPV). The band was joined by Marc Heal (Cubanate). We will tour in the USA in January 1998.

I am singing and playing in a band called Cobalt60 that has a very nice page on the web (you can locate it via several industrial music links, I don't know the right address). We just did the music of the CD Rom game Wing Commander V: Prophecy, to be released in November, and are recording our second album right now. I also sung on seven tracks of the album Error of Judgement by Birmingham 6 (1996).

So you see I am very busy. And very happy to be so.

D. Phillips

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